Sectional or unit merchandise and book case.



H. TRUST.

SEGTIONAL 0R UNIT MERCHANDISE AND BOOK GASE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 1, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wwww; I jywenfoy HENRY TROST, OF COHOES, NEVI YORK.

SECTIONAL OB UNIT MERCHANDISE AND BOOK CASE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 14, 1909.

Application filed. November 1, 1905. Serial No. 285,471

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY Tnosr, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cohoes, in the county of Albany and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Sectional or UnitMerchandise and Book Cases; and I do declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to thefigures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to merchandise and book cases made up of a numberof sections or units, and it has for its object to provide improvedmeans for holding together the walls and top and bottom members of eachunit or section when assembled and which will permit the easydisassembling of said parts in order that they may be compactly packedfor shipment or storage.

It has further for its object to provide improved means for hinging asliding door to each unit or section in a manner that will enable it tobe readily disconnected from its hinges when the parts are to beassembled for packing or transportation, without disconnecting thehinges, and under which construction the door can be readily connectedto its hinges without the employment of skilled help.

It has furthermore for its object to provide means for drawing the doorwithin the unit or section during the operation of opening the door.

It has further for its object to provide a construction whereby the doorwill be supported by the hinges in a horizontal position within the unitor section when the door is open.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such other objects as mayhereinafter appear the invention consists in features which will behereinafter particularly de scribed and then sought to be clearlydefined by the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawingsforming a part hereof.

Figure 1 is a perspective of a merchandise or book case embodying myinvention; Fig. 2 a vertical cross section through Fig. 1 with a portionof the covering-shield broken away to show the door-hinge construction,the position of the hinge and the door when closed being shown in fulllines, and in the upper section the dotted lines indicating the positionof the hinge and the door when the latter is opened, and in the lowersection the dotted lines indicating one position of the door and a partof the hinge in the operation of opening the door; F ig. 3 is a sectionon the line 33 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrow; and Fig.t is a plan view of a portion of one shelf and one end and front wall ofthe base.

The hinge construction is the same at both ends and a description of onewill answer for both.

In the drawing, the numeral 1 designates the end walls of a unit orsection, and 2 the rear wall which slides in grooves 3 formed in the endwalls.

The numeral 4. designates the shelf of the unit or section and which,when between two units or sections constitutes the top of the lower oneand the bottom of the upper one. Each shelf is provided at its oppositeends with angle-plates 5secured to the under face of the shelf so as topresent depending flanges 6 so located that when the shelf is placed inposition these flanges will enter sockets 7 formed in the upper edges ofthe end walls 1. These sockets are formed by reccssing the end wallsfrom the inside face thereof and extending metallic plates 8 across theopen faces of these recesses flush with the inner face of the end walland below the upper edge of the wall so that when the shelf is put inposition the horizontal portion of the angle-plates 5 will rest upon theupper edge of the metallic plates 8 so that the shelf will be supportedthereon, with a portion of the shelf lying below the top edge of the endwalls and a portion extending above the top edge thereof. This affordsthe advantage of the shelf being sustained by metallic supports, whichsupports in connection with the angle-plates strongly brace theconnection be tween the shelf and the end walls so that greaterdurability and strength is obtained,

and it also causes the upper projecting portion of the shelf inconjunction with the upper edge of the end wall to constitute a recessor rabbet 9 at each end of the unit or section to receive the lower endsof the enclwalls of the unit or section next above, or of the top of theunit or section. The shelf is also formed at its rear with a groove 10to receive the upper end of the rear wall 2 of the unit or section, andat its forward end is formed with a rabbet 12 to receive the bottomstile of the door when the latter is closed, and is also provided alongits front edge wit-h a molding 13 which projects beyond the ends of theshelf so as to lap over the front edges of the end walls and with adepending flange 11 for the top stile of the door to bear against whenthe door is closed. Each unit or section is formed as described and whenso formed its several parts can be.

tion and is formed with a socket 7 and metallic bearing-plate 8 toreceive the corresponding angle-plate 6 and flange 7 of the shelf of theunit or section the same as the end walls of the several units orsections. The uppermost unit or section is provided with a top or cap 16of any desired configuration, the lower portion of which will fit in therabbets 9 and 12 of the top unit or section, so as to give an ornamentalfinish to the top unit or section.

Each unit or section is provided with a door 17 which when closed liesin front of the section and when open lies within the upper portion ofthe section. For the purpose of supporting the door within the unit orsection and also during its movements between its closed and openedpositions 1 provide a novel construction of hinge, and for the purposeof drawing the door within the unit or section I combine with the hingea spring which when the door is swung upward in the act of opening itwill retract or draw the door to its position within the unit orsection. This hinge consists of an arm 18 pivoted at its lower end tothe end wall of the section, or to a plate 19 attached thereto, and atits upper end is pivotally connected to the door. The other member ofthe hinge consists of a jointed or two-part arm 20 the lower section ofwhich is pivotally connected to the arm 18 and the upper sectionpivotally connected to the door, and the two sections connected one tothe other by a pivot pin 21, and in order that the joint thus formed maybreak in only one direction one section of the jointed arm is providedwith a lateral lip 22 which will bear against the edge of the othersection, and preferably by entering a notch 23 formed therein. Underthis construction when the door is within the unit or section it issupported therein by its hinge, and when the door is pulled out andswung downwardly the two-part jointed arm 20 breaks at its joint so asto permit said arm to fold in order that the door may be brought to itsvertical position in front of the unit or section for the purpose ofclosing the same. lVhen the door is swung outward in the act of openingit the jointed arm is straightened and the long arm turns upon its lowerpivot so that the door may be swung upward and to position within theunit or section. For the purpose of draw ing the door into the upperportion of the unit or section when being opened, a suitable spring, forinstance a coiled spring 24, is connected at one end to the lowerportion of the long arm 18 and at the other end to the end wall of theunit or section. This spring is put under tension when the door is drawnout and closed, and when the door is swung upward in being opened saidspring contracts and pulls the door into position within the upperportion of the unit or section. For the purpose of preventing thetwo-part arm of the hinge breaking or yielding at its joint and foldingwhen the door is in position within the unit or section, a stop 25 issecured to the end wall of the section in such position that one sectionof the two-part arm will abut against it and the arm be thus preventedfrom folding which if permitted might leave the door free to drop andcause the parts to become disarranged. For the purpose of breaking thejoint however at the proper time in the closing of the door, a stop 26is located in the path of travel of the twopart a m 20 at the properpoint in the outward movement of the door so that one section of saidarm will strike against the stop and thus not being permitted to travelfarther in that direction will cause the joint to break or yield so thatthe two parts of the arm will fold so as to permit the door to assumeits vertical position in front of the section. YVhen the door is in thisposition the joint of the two-part arm will lie to the rear of the longarm, and when the door is open and within the upper portion of the unitor section the two-part arm will be in front of the long armillustrated. When the door is in its closed position the lower stilethereof lies within the rabbet 12 of the bottom or shelf of the unit andits upper end bears against the ledge 14L of the top or shelf at the topof the unit, and the inner face of the side stiles of the door bearsagainst stops 27 at tached to the inner faces of the end walls of theunit or section near the front portion thereof, and thus the door isheld in position in front of the unit or section when closed.

In order that books or merchandise placed within the unit or section maynot contact with the hinges of the door, a covering shield 28 is placedover each hinge and secured to the end wall by screws or otherwise so asto cover the arms of the hinge. In order that the door may be readilydetached from its hinges when the parts of the unit or section are to bedisassembled for shipment or storage, said door is pivotally' connectedto the upper arms of the hinge by means of thumb nuts 29 which passthrough ears 30 secured to the stiles of the door and screw into theupper ends of the hinge arms. These thumb nuts are not covered by theshield 28 and consequently are easy of access for the purpose ofattaching and detaching the door to the hinges.

I have illustrated and described the preferred details of constructionand arrange ment of the several parts but it is obvious that suchchanges can be made therein as will fall within the scope of theappended claims.

Having described my invention and set forth its merits, what I claimis 1. In a merchandise or book case, a vertically and horizontallymovable door for the case, shields adjacent to the inside faces of theend walls of the case, hinges secured to the case within the spacebetween said shields and the end walls of the case and detachablysecured at one end to the door, and springs located within the spacebetween the shields and end walls of the case and connected to saidhinges for moving the door to a horizontal position within the case whenopened, and holding the hinges within the spaces in which they arelocated when the door is detached from the hinges, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a merchandise or book case, a vertically and horizontally movabledoor for the case, a hinge permitting the door to be supported in ahorizontal position within the case when open and to be moved to avertical position in front of the case, said hinge comprising two armshaving the door connected. thereto and pivotally supported within thecase, one of said arms being formed of two parts jointed one to theother, with one part hinged to the other arm, substantially asdescribed.

3. In a merchandise or book case, a vertically and horizontally movabledoor for the case, a hinge permitting the door to be sup ported in ahorizontal position within the case when open and to be moved to avertical position in front of the case, said hinge comprising two armshaving the door connected thereto and pivotally supported in the case,one of said arms being formed of two parts jointed one to the other,with one part hinged to the other arm, and a stopto limit the backwardmovement of the twopart jointed ari'n of the hinge, substantially asdescribed.

4. In a merchandise or book case, a vertically and horizontally movabledoor to the case, a hinge permitting the door to be supported in ahorizontal position within the case when open and to be moved to avertical position in front of the case, said hinge comprising two armshaving the door connected thereto and pivotally supported Within thecase, one of said arms being formed of two parts jointed one to theother, with one part hinged to the other arm, and one part formed with alip to bear against the other partwhen the two parts are distended, anda stop to limit the backward movement of the two-part jointed arm of thehinge, substantially as described.

5. In a merchandise orbook case, a vertically and horizontally movabledoor to the case, a hinge permitting the door to be supported in ahorizontal position within the case when opened and to be moved to avertical position in front of the case, said hinge comprising two armshaving the door connected thereto and pivotally supported within thecase, one of said arms being formed of two parts jointed one to theother, with one part hinged to the other arm, and a stop to break thejoint in the two-part arm in open ing the door to enable the two partsto fold at such time, substantially as described.

(3. In a merchandise or book case, a vertically and horizontally movabledoor to the case, a hinge permitting the door to be supported in ahorizontal position within the case when opened and to be moved to avertical position in front of the case, said hinge comprising two armshaving the door connected thereto and pivotally supported within thecase, one of said arms being formed of two parts jointed one to theother, with oneipart hinged to the other arm, a spring for moving thedoor to a position within the case when opened, and a stop constitutinga bearing for the upper portion of the door when closed to resist thetendency of the spring to pull the door inwardly, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY TROST.

Witnesses PHILIP Tnosr, HENRY W. Tnos'r.

